As spring, (finally), approaches it’s time to get outside with your bestie!  There are different ways to walk your dog.  Who knew?  And, regardless of which kind of walk your dog prefers, it’s good for him to go on both kinds. 

The leisure walk is the one most preferred by any breed that wants to use it’s nose.  This includes any hound, pointer, shepherd or labs.  As the name implies, the pace of this walk is leisurely, usually dictated by the dog.  He gets to use his nose and the person holding the leash accommodates by simply following the lead of the dog.  A longer leash is commonly the type of leash used for this type of walk.  A harness rather than a collar is often recommended as you don’t want the dog to get to the end of the leash and get a quick pressure point on his neck.  Of course, you don’t want to create the equivalent of a husky pulling a sled as the further they get from you the harder they are to control.  You may want to use a harness designed to not discourage pulling.

These walks are designed to provide mental stimulation.  They allow the dog to decompress and engage their senses.  They choose the spots they want to investigate and how long they want to sniff that location.  This type of walk reduces stress and lowers the heart rate.  These walks can increase your dog’s confidence and reduce boredom.  This type of sniffing walk can be as tiring as a long run.  A leisurely walk needs to happen in parks, trials or open areas where a dog can just be a dog. 

A structured walk is a walk for all breeds.  The direction and pace of the walk is determined by the person not the dog.  This is where some training, both mental and physical, can happen.  These kinds of walks use a short leash and a different style harness, so the dog knows it’s going to do something different than the leisurely walk, or a collar.

You should have a plan for what your goals are for each walk.  They are shorter than the leisure walks because the dog is, or should be, focused on you and performing the behaviors you are asking for. The more trained your dog is, the longer you can expect him to successfully participate in this kind of walk. This kind of walk helps reduce anxiety and builds the bond between you and your dog. Always stop on a successful behavior and before he is overtired mentally.  This is school for your dog.  The more often you go on a structured walk, the better your dog will be.

Regardless of your dog’s breed or living situation, he should go on both types of walk.  Some for relaxing and some for manners.  The green stuff that has shown up under all the white stuff means its spring, get dog walking!